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What to back up
A report export or spreadsheet is useful for sharing information but is not the same as a restorable Cashflow dataset. Use the app's Backup everything option to save a ZIP of supported Personal, Portfolio and Business records.
1. Make the backup
Open Cashflow's backup/restore settings and select Backup everything. Keep the archive filename and date recognizable, such as “cashflow-before-import-2026-10-11.zip”. Do not rename files to suggest they contain more than the app exported.
2. Include Business documents
Business supporting attachments have a separate Documents ZIP. If you use receipt images or supporting files, download that archive too. One financial ZIP is not guaranteed to contain every source file, receipt or generated payroll document.
3. Store it safely
Save a copy in a secure place you can reach if the device is lost. A password-protected or encrypted destination is sensible because financial archives can contain sensitive information. Never post them publicly to ask for help.
4. Restore only after checking the destination
Confirm you are using a compatible Cashflow backup, read any replace/merge/overwrite warning and decide which copy is most complete. A restore on an already-used device can overwrite changes depending on the chosen option; don't experiment against your only good copy.
5. Verify with known figures
After restoring, inspect several account values, recent Personal transactions, Business balances and selected Portfolio holdings. If the destination is a new device, check external connections separately and re-enable optional Cloud Sync only once you understand which data is present.
Before any major change
Back up immediately before a YNAB/Actual/QuickBooks migration, a Zero-Based checkpoint rebase, changing devices or resolving a major sync conflict. Continue with our recovery checklist.
Want the bigger picture? Explore the Personal, Portfolio and Business product tour →